3,000 Miles Down And 2,000 Miles To Go

04Jul

All Seasons Cyclist

Today I passed the 3,000 mile mark on my bike for this year, which means I still have 2,000 more miles to ride before I reach my goal of 5,000. In case you are wondering, I do have a full-time job and I work about 50 hours a week. However, I have somewhat flexible hours so when I ride 70 miles one morning it means I will be at the office rather late that night. I am also aided by the fact that all three of our sons are grown, so Cub Scout meetings and high school football games no longer interfere with my cycling.

Most of the year I ride by myself, by for the past couple of weeks I’ve tagged along with a young woman who is getting ready to bike across Iowa again (this year’s RAGBRAI route is 454-miles). Talking to fellow-cyclists really does help you increase your knowledge of the sport. I love picking up tips about nutrition, endurance or even bicycle maintenance from people who know what they are talking about!

I was off my bike during the first half of June due to food poisoning, but once I got back on the bike I was able to ride well over 500 miles in just 16 days. I live in the Upper Midwest, so we don’t really have to worry about excessive heat too often. At the moment I am still about 350 miles ahead of where I had planned to be by now, and I am looking forward to the next 2,000 miles (even though the last 500 will probably be in the snow).